Rail accident narrowly avoided in Dinajpur as sleeper sabotage discovered

The sleepers, a component that maintains the correct space of the gauges between rail tracks, were removed

The Rupsha Express train from Chilahati to Khulna narrowly escaped an accident after rail sleepers – components that maintain the correct space of the gauges between rail tracks – were removed near Dinajpur's Birampur station. The Panchagarh Express train was also delayed for over an hour on Wednesday morning due to damage to the tracks near the station.

Saboteurs removed the sleepers from the outer rail line at Birampur Rail Station around 11 pm on Tuesday, Bangladesh Railways Chief Commercial Manager (West) Sujit Kumar Biswas told bdnews24.com. But the train driver and his assistant noticed the issue and were able to stop the train in time.

"Sleepers were removed from the track shortly before the departure of the Chilahati express train. Our loco-master and assistant loco-master noticed the incident and stopped the train. As a result, no accident occurred."

The Panchagarh Express train was also delayed due to damage to the rail line near Birampur.

"We call this 'rail broken'. When it gets old, the rail breaks from the side. Because of this, the Panchagarh Express train was delayed by one hour and ten minutes."

Bangladesh has seen five major incidents of rail sabotage amid the series of strikes and blockades organised by the BNP and like-minded parties. Five people have lost their lives in these incidents, and many others, including railway workers, were injured. Seven railway coaches were gutted by fire, and eight more coaches and an engine were damaged.

The railway has also reported several incidents of railway lines being set on fire, the removal of other rail track components, and the detonation of improvised explosives in different parts of the country.